Christians, tell your children there is no Santa Claus

There is nothing wrong with giving gifts to your children or family at Christmas as well as decorating for the celebration as long as the decorating is not sending the message that the season is about someone other then Jesus.. And if your waistline isn't a problem, there is no harm in exchanging chocolates at Easter.

In fact, it is nice to give and receive gifts. And let us not forget that God gave the world a more wonderful gift than we could ever give: salvation to all who confess (receive) Jesus Christ is Lord and who believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-9).

However, it is inadvisable for Christians to tell children lies about Santa Claus. Do you really want them to put their trust in a buffoon on the street corner who doesn't even know their name, let alone being totally unable to fulfill any wishes they may secretly tell him? Do you want them to think it's OK for strange men to visit them in the middle of the night? Worst of all do you really want to plant the suggestion that lying is acceptable if it brings pleasure for the moment? Why set yourself up to be exposed as a liar later by saying that Christmas is celebrating a man in a red and white costume instead of Christ's birth? We don't call it Santamas, but Christmas.

Truth more exciting than fiction
The truth about Jesus Christ is exciting, wonderful, and true. Do you really want to downplay God's miracles by replacing them with a warped insistence that your children believe what you don't even believe yourself: that a fat cartoon figure actually comes to their house at night and brings them gifts? Show some courage and treat your children like human beings.

Explain to the very young ones that Santa doesn't exist, even though they see Santa clones in stores every Christmas. You can point out that these “Santas” are men dressed in Santa suits — like clowns dressed in clown suits at the circus. Explain to them that the world does not know Jesus and so they make up stories to take the real meaning out of Christmas. Teach them truth, not lies!

Instead of asking children “What is Santa bringing you for Christmas?”, Teach them that what ever they may receive it comes from love from you because God has provided the money.
Tell your kids we give gifts at Christmas because the wise men gave gifts to Jesus after He was born. This doesn't destroy their excitement at Christmas time — it teaches them that they can receive and enjoy gifts without being lied to. By the way simply being silent and letting them believe the lie of the world is still lying to them. More then that it teaches them that you as their parent cannot be trusted to guide them into truth. There is little wonder that these children who have been lied to by their parents turn to their friends for ill directed guidance when they enter the teen years.

This is not bah-humbug. It is helping your kids enjoy a lie-free Christmas, teaching them what Christmas is really about. It is sad that even many church pastors can't see the morality problem they are creating by re-enforcing wrong information to children. Just think about it. They can have the understanding at a very early age who Jesus is and why we really celebrate Christmas. It is a birthday celebration for Jesus, the gift of God to men.

Christ not born on December 25
Many Christian churches do not make a fuss of Christmas or Easter. This is because they celebrate Christ's resurrection every Sunday, and it is well known that Jesus Christ was not born on December 25. Isn't it strange that often the most irreligious people on your street have the most Christmas lights and decorations on their houses? However instead of us having decorations with Santa, reindeer, snow men and the like we can have decorations of the manger and the baby Jesus and other biblical accounts of the season allowing us to be a witness to the world and our children.

Just as the myth of evolution replaces the truth of biblical creation, so the modern-day Santa Claus, or Father Christmas, replaces the Son of God, Jesus Christ, at Christmas time. This is rewriting history to replace the true meaning of Christmas with fiction.

Build trust with your children
The danger in encouraging children to believe that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are going to visit them is that you are asking them to build their trust in something that you know they will find out is a lie. If you tell them a lie about this, you may wonder why they start doubting other things you tell them. The child thinks, “They told me two big lies; maybe what they told me about God is a lie too.” Also they will think that it is all right to lie to have pleasure. That is the lie Satan wants us to believe so don't teach them to lie!

You can certainly exchange gifts at Christmas. But tell your children you do this as a reminder that the wise men mentioned in the Bible brought gifts to Jesus after His birth. And let them know Jesus came to earth to bring God's greatest gift — to show us the way to Heaven.

Christ is, and must always be the only reason we celebrate Christmas and Easter. What greater enjoyment can we have then to set down on Christmas morning and read the biblical account of the real meaning of Christmas to our families? After that any presents that we may feel fit too give can be passed out, explaining that this is only possible because of the love of God because He first gave us His most prized gift, Jesus His Son. Doing this we celebrate the real meaning of Christmas and help ensure that our children know the truth about the season and the True gift of God.
God bless